1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to in-line flow meters. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing an in-line flow meter that can be used in pipes having a variety of diameters.
2. Description of Related Art
Flow meters are often used to measure the flow of a fluid in a pipe. A typical flow meter includes a rotor that is mounted in a short section of pipe and mechanically connected, via one or more gears, to a revolution counter. As fluid flows in the pipe and passes by the rotor, the rotor rotates and the gears between the rotor and the revolution counter cause the counter to show the rate of flow (generally in gallons per minute or cubic feet per second) and/or the cumulative total amount of fluid that has flowed through the section of pipe.
Since the flow meter identifies a given rate of flow through a fixed area of pipe, the pipe must be flowing full for accurate results, and must generally be installed in the pipe about ten pipe diameters away from any bends, elbows, or turbulence-causing fittings upstream from the flow meter.